During my devotions this morning, I started sketching down an idea for a book, as furiously as a dog digging for a bone.  I don’t know if anything will come from it, but it would be targeted for anyone involved in the Lord’s work.  The concept would be “Not for Nothing:  Your Labor in the Lord is NOT in vain.”  Thousands of pastors and staffers (and lay workers) are discouraged in the ministry right now.  These are hard times, and a number of factors are creating debilitating emotions for Christian workers.  Yet we have:  (1) Biblical prayers regarding this; (2) Powerful promises about it; (3) Instructive insights from Christian history; (4) Resolutions we can make regarding our own attitudes on any given day.  So I’m just mulling it over.  If you’ve gone through a bout of discouragement or are in such a state now, feel free to shoot me an e-mail.

PS – On the other hand, if you’re looking why we should be discouraged, check out this story in today’s Scottish Sun.  Stan Lee, the Marvel Comics guru who invented the Hulk and the X-Men is preparing to introduce the world’s first homosexual super-hero.  The plan is to give this gay character his own comic book, plus a television series on an American network or cable station.  It was bound to happen; and don’t forget–we tend to become like the heroes we espouse.

Several years ago, there came into my possession a little book that had belonged to the Free Will Baptist missionary, Laura Belle Barnard. It was about the names and titles ascribed to Jesus in the Bible. I was so intrigued by the subject that I later read through the entire Bible and found for myself about 350 different names, titles, and designations for Christ.

Our Lord is so vast, so multi-dimensioned and poly-faceted that it takes all those names to describe Him, just as it would take all the colors of the spectrum to adequately paint His portrait.

When you are reading in the Bible, always keep an eye open for the precious names of our wonderful Lord. He is the Life, the Light, the Way, the Truth, the Bread of Life, the Light of the World, the Great Physician, the Rock of Ages, the Bright and Morning Star, the Man of Sorrows, the Lamb of God, the Author and Finisher of our Faith, the Captain of our Salvation, the Good Shepherd, the Holy One of Israel, the Friend Who Sticks Closer than a Brother, the Sun of Righteousness, the Desire of All Nations, the Last Adam the Savior, the Master, the Man from Heaven, the Friend of Sinners, the Prophet, the Advocate, the Door, the Rock, the Cornerstone, the King of the Jews, the Son of David, the Sure Foundation, the Redeemer, Emmanuel, Rabbi, Alpha and Omega, Lord, Jesus, Christ, the Firstborn Among Many Brothers, the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace.

PS – The result of my study is my book, He Shall be Called, available here.

I’m so grateful for yesterday!  We had terrific services, good attendance, an encouraging baptism, a baby dedication, and several people who joined the church.  Last night’s annual church conference went smooth as silk, and we’re off to a good start in our year-long project of memorizing 100 verses.

I wanted to give the outline for the passage I used yesterday morning on the prologue of John.  This is one of the greatest preambles in all of human literature.  My outline here is not a strict exegetical outline, and I didn’t want to simply repeat what I had said about this passage during last fall’s series of sermons on the Trinity.  So I prepared a devotional outline that covers the passage, emphasizing the “One and Only” nature of Christ referred to in vv. 14 & 18. 

Scripture:  John 1:1-18

Introduction:  The Lord Jesus is the One and Only…

1.  God Who Made Us (vv. 1-3)

2.  Life Who Sustains Us (v. 4a)

3.  Light that Illumines Us (vv. 4-5)

4.  Message that Excites us (vv. 6-9)

5.  Savior who Redeems Us (vv. 10-13)

6.  Friend Who Accompanies Us (v. 14)

7.  Lord Who Surpasses Us (v. 15)

8.  Son Who Blesses Us (vv. 16-18)

Conclusion:  There’s no one like Him!

PS – For a complete written text of the message, click here.

The headline of today’s SciTech page on Fox News warns:  “Powerful Solar Storm Could Shut Down U.S. for Months.”  The article said, “Damage to power grids and other communication systems could be catastrophic…with effects leading to a potential loss of governmental control of the situation.”

“The prediction is based in part on a major solar storm in 1859 that caused telegraph wires to short out in the United States and Europe, igniting widespread fires.”

The scientists warn that a severe solar flare-up could knock out power grids, melt transformers, disable satellites, and cause a cascade of failures that would sweep across the United States and around the world.  Independent infrastructures would go off-line, communications would end, banks would close, emergency services would be strained, and command and control might be lost.

The next peak in solar activity is expected to come around 2012.

This article reads as though it came straight from the pages of the book of Revelation, and it might help explain some of the catastrophic events that will occur during the Tribulation.  See Revelation 16:8.  Couple that with calls this week in Europe for a world-government and ongoing conflict in the Middle East, and it’s starting to sound a lot like biblical prophecy.

Stay tuned.

This morning I awoke early and rather discouraged, mainly from yesterday’s doctor’s appointment about my worsening psoriasis. My work load was also upsetting me. But, as the Lord so often does, He sent a minister of encouragement.

Just as the sun was up, I went down to the field to let the old sheep out of her stall. I’d pinned her up last night to get her out of the open cold. Returning to the house, I was surprised to see a beautiful deer prancing across the field. We often see deer in Roan Mountain, but almost never down here. He had beautiful antlers, and he ran toward the fence, paused, studied it, backed up, and leaped across it like a highjumper. He dashed across Pennington Bend, leaped the next fence, and disappeared into the field across the street. It was such a graceful, pastoral picture.

Coming back, I looked him up in the Bible. There are 14 references to deer in the NIV, and we are compared to deer several times. We’re to pant for God as a deer does for water (Psalm 42:1). But the verse that most encouraged me was repeated three times.

1. 2 Samuel 22:34: He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; He enables me to stand on the heights.
2. Psalm 18:33: He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; He enables me to stand on the heights.
3. Habakkuk 3:19: The Sovereign Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, He enables me to go on the heights.

We may have fences in our way, but the Lord gives us leaping, prancing strength. We’re to be graceful with His grace and surefooted in His steps.

Lord, thank you for four-footed preachers!

In his book, Prescription for Anxiety, Leslie D. Weatherhead warns against the compulsion to tell all our troubles to anyone who will listen.  “Tell your doctor everything, of course, and a close friend or two… but not to anyone else.”

The reason, Weatherhead writes, is that if we talk a lot about our symptoms, we give them persisting power.  The more we discuss our problems, the more we keep reminding ourselves of them.  Every recital of our woes etches them more firmly on our minds.

Better far to tell the Lord and leave our cares with Him in quiet faith, believing.

PS – On the other end of the subject:  My favorite story in today’s press was about the Chicago-area pastor who has inspired the creation of a 365 club on Facebook — people determined to commit an act of kindness every day this year.  It’s reported in the Christian Post.

Here’s a simple illustration from last night’s sermon that shows what it means to cast our burdens on the Lord (Psalm 55:22) and our cares on Him (1 Peter5:7).

Recently at an airport when I was travel-weary, I saw a long moving sidewalk.  I had a bag in each hand as I stepped onto the thing, but in my fatigue I didn’t even think to set them down. 

I was still carrying my load while the moving sidewalk was carrying me.  Not until halfway down the hall did I have the presence of mind to release my bags and let the moving sidewalk carry them too. 

How often do we take a step of faith and commit our lives to the Lord Jesus, but we forget that He can carry our burdens, too.  We let Him carry us toward our heavenly destination, but we insist on clinging to the heavy loads that He wants to carry for us.  “Walking by Faith” occurs when we not only take our stand on Him, but we rest our cares on Him as well.

PS – My morning sermon was from Genesis 1:1 and dealt with issues of creation and intelligent design.   For a written copy of this message, click here.   For information about the film The Privileged Planet, click here.  To learn more about William Lane Craig who was featured in the videos I used during the sermon, click here.  And finally, for the book, The Case for the Creator by Lee Strobel, click here.